Tatum Scores 27 Points, Celtics Rally To Beat Thunder 111-94
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 20 of his 27 points in the second half and the Boston Celtics rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-94 on Saturday night.
Jaylen Brown added 25 points to help the Celtics even their season record to close out a four-game trip.
Moses Brown scored a career-high 21 points and tied a Thunder record with 23 rebounds. Theo Maledon added 22 points for Oklahoma City.
Brown had 17 points and 19 rebounds in the first half as the Thunder took a 52-47 lead. He made 6 of 6 field goals and 5 of 6 free throws in just 16 minutes.
The Thunder led 80-76 heading into the fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown kept the Celtics in it with 13 points in the third.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Luke Kornet put the Celtics up 88-82 early in the fourth. The Celtics acquired Kornet from the Chicago Bulls in a three-team deal that involved the Washington Wizards.
A fast-break dunk by Tatum put the Celtics up 95-82, and Boston cruised from there. The Celtics shot 56% in the fourth quarter and outscored the Thunder 35-14. Oklahoma City made just 5 of 17 shots in the final period.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Evan Fournier, a guard who joined the Celtics in a trade with the Orlando Magic on Thursday, was out because of health and safety protocols. He's averaging 19.7 points and 3.7 assists. ... G Kemba Walker rested.
Thunder: Guard Austin Rivers is not with the team. He was acquired from New York in the three-way trade that sent George Hill to Philadelphia. ... The Thunder announced before the game that veteran center Al Horford will be inactive the rest of the season while the team's young players develop.
UP NEXT
Celtics: Host New Orleans on Monday night.
Thunder: Host Dallas on Monday night.
(© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
